Oh, to Be in England Now That April's Here

Words from Robert Browning's poem seem especially significant this April day in upstate New York.  After many days of sun and warm temperatures, today rain has finally fallen - all day - and there's a real chill in the air.  I'm not complaining; the parched earth needs this rain, and it seems a great day for me to sit snugly warm and dry and organize another post.  As I hear the rain ticking on the window behind my computer, Browning's words have real significance, for today, dear reader, I will be completely on task - in England, showing many kitchens, and feeling cozy.

The following home and its images are from Cote Ouest's 1995 Spring issue.

See, whenever I decide to have a Japanese garden or one Zen-like and composed of only sculpted boxwoods, I think of these gardens.  What is one to do?  I really need about five fantasy gardens to accompany my five fantasy houses.

Water - such a lovely addition to any garden.

May I present Shepherd's Close, the home to which these gardens belong, in the village of Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds.  Yes, this wonderful place actually exists.  "Chipping Campden," "Shepherd's Close -" sooo British.  Can you stand it!

Needs no words.

Sweet primroses.

And spring also inside.

In the same issue of Cote Ouest, this sunny, springy kitchen appeared in a different home, one west of London.

Perhaps, because of their frequent lack of sunshine, the owners of this home brought the sunshine in with the cheery yellow of their kitchen.

And the spring dining room in same home.  (Sorry for the center blur.  I need a larger scanner.)

More kitchens.  (Ahem, ahem- who is staying close to her blog's name and focus today?)  The following kitchens are from Mary Gilliatt's book, English Country Style, published in 1986, a book which I remember studying very carefully while in my English stage of design.

The basket above and the "margarine" platter below appear in many kitchens today.  Everything old does become new again.

Love the window below.

Another sunny yellow kitchen. 

Very British Aga range here.  Wonder if the master of the house caught this fish.

I will return to more of Gilliatt's book in future posts, but now let's move to the present, to designer Malcolm Kutner's beautifully restored row house in London.  The images below appear on narratives.co.uk. and appear very small, but we can still get the idea.

His black door is so great next to the brick - even the black drain pipe is black.

Black door seen from the inside with black painted diamonds on floor.

 A proud Malcolm Kutner.

Such a beautiful room.

Another lovely room above or do we call it the sitting room.

Love all his touches of black.

Red's always so inviting in a dining room.

And now to his kitchen, which I really "have loved," every time I've seen it.

More touches of black and a kitchen fireplace.

Woops, sorry Elle Decor.  This image is yours and I love it.

Kitchen's dining area.

Well, didn't I promise I would be on task today?  Talk about kitchens!  Talk about England!  It was all here today.  (Sorry about some of the more blurred images.  Perhaps narraive.co.uk didn't want them reproduced.  I hope that is not the case.)

Till next time, my friends, and more of my England.
b

England Again

After my detour last posting, I'm back to where I'm supposed to be - England.  While it may not be the design choice of the Restoration Hardware masses today, it certainly had its heyday, and is still loved by many.  (Just ask followers of Downton Abbey.)  I well remember my love for it - its gardens, fabrics, libraries, horses, dogs - I loved it all and still would count it as being the location for one of my fantasy houses.  Looking back now at the articles I saved and the design books I purchased reminds me of just why I loved it so much.

This first group of images is all from the autumn issue of Cote Ouest from 1994.  While I have come to covet Japanese gardens and the serenity of boxwood gardens, you just have to love English gardens.

Hope you read French.  I consult my French-English dictionary frequently, but pictures are worth a thousand words.  Love everything here but especially the dog who thinks he's the leader of the parade.

Later you'll see the other side of this window.

Enclosures in gardens are so comforting.

What I should be doing today.  Beautiful day here, but blogging is fun too and tomorrow is another day.

That beautiful window from within and wonderful garden accoutrements.

Reminds me a little of George Washington's Mount Vernon room designed by Victoria Hagan or also of Greet LeFervre's orangerie.  So envious.

Or Axel Vervoordt's or Bunny Williams's garden rooms.  Why don't I have a garden room???  I do have a potting shed, but I don't think that counts.

Exhausted after leading the parade.

At least I have a watering can  and umbrella that looks like the ones below.

And tea!  Who doesn't love tea and toast ?

So pastoral.  So English.

At my fantasy English house, I would have a stone barn, horses, grooms (of course), and lots of English tweed just like this.

The following images appeared in the same above issue of Cote Ouest but are from a home owned by Roger Banks-Pye.  Until his death while in his forties, he was a designer at Colefax and Fowler, that iconic English design firm, and actually worked with Stanley Falconer whose home we viewed in an earlier posting.  I like Falconer's taste more, but Banks-Pye has his devotees.  You choose.

Talk about your "ivy covered cottage."   Can't you see some romantic assignations taking place here or have I read too many English novels?  Can one read too many English novels?

More assignation possiblities.

A bit too blue and white for me, but love that window and teak bench.

How pretty is that teapot. 

Doesn't this all make you wish you were in an English garden?

Lest we forget, this blog is supposed to be about kitchens and food.  I'm really hitting the food button today with Roger Banks-Pye.

The door leading to his kitchen.  I would definitely eliminate that curtain in front of such a great door, but never eliminate those topiaries aside the great door.

More blue and white.  Banks-Pye loved checks as you will see.  (I love checks too, but not blue and white ones so much.)  We're really getting our food-fix today.

This is just too busy.  Too much blue and white for me, but not for Banks-Pye as you will see.

The next few images are from Interior Inspirations - Roger Banks-Pye, published in 1997.  His work seen here is beautiful, a bit less busy but still blue and white.

More organized.

The kitchen below was designed for the New York apartment of Valentino, who was very pleased with Banks-Pye's work.

Now onto several checked items that I do like today.  These are all from the Mackenzie Childs company and all images were found on the internet.

Now, no one who knows the Mackenzie Childs style would call it restful, but it seems that after so much English busyness.  Not criticizing England -  just picking and choosing.  Tell me what you think, dear reader.

Before I leave for today, I must recommend a new book by Lisa Newsom - The Houses of Veranda.  I received my copy yesterday and love, love it.  The pages are thick, the pictures beautiful, and the homes carefully chosen.   It even smells great.  While I love books on my ipad, they can never replace the real thing.  You really should own The Houses of Veranda.  

I would also like to recommend a new-to-me blog by Loi Thai and entitled Tone on Tone.  It has a clean, serene look that I really like.

Tone on Tone

Tone on Tone

His images are so restful after mine today, and his is a direction toward which I'm heading.  Eventually.

Till next time in England.

b